Drug addiction tops list of rural concerns

A quarter of rural Americans say that drug addiction is the biggest problem their communities face, according to a new poll of rural residents. A lot of that assessment is based on first-hand information. About half of rural residents say they personally know someone, like a friend or family member, who has struggled with opioid addiction. Younger adults were even more likely to know someone struggling with addiction.While drug addiction topped the list of community problems, a slightly smaller percentage of rural residents think that economic concerns are the biggest issue in their communities, according to the poll. When it comes to family matters, however, rural people are more concerned about money and financial problems. Twenty-seven percent said economic issues were their biggest family problem (as opposed to community problem), while only 1 percent said drug addiction was their family’s biggest problem. Health concerns overall (including drug abuse) were the second biggest family problem on the open-ended list, at 16 percent of respondents. The third highest group said their families had no “biggest problem.”